


like real people do

by callmevenji



Category: Love Victor (TV 2020)
Genre: Angst, Car Accident, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, benji is in a coma, but its not as sad or angsty as it sounds, everyone thinks victor is talking to himself, so theres also comedy is what im getting at
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 17:54:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29704371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callmevenji/pseuds/callmevenji
Summary: The last thing Victor Salazar expects when he moves to Creekwood High is to be the only one able to see the spirit of Benji Campbell, a boy who has fallen into a coma after a tragic car accident and now needs Victor's help to return to his body.
Relationships: Benjamin "Benji" Campbell & Victor Salazar, Benjamin "Benji" Campbell/Victor Salazar, Lake Meriwether/Felix Weston, Mia Brooks & Lake Meriwether, Mia Brooks/Andrew Spencer, Victor Salazar & Felix Weston
Comments: 53
Kudos: 33





	1. Apoptosis

The music reverberated loudly in Benji’s chest, his head moving on its own accord. He danced to the beat of the music with not a clue as to what the song currently playing was, but he didn’t really care. Bodies moved alongside him; arms, legs, and boobs grazing him every few seconds.

The air, hot and stuffy, made his t-shirt clung to his body; it was sort of uncomfortable but the fuzzy feeling in his head helped him ignore it.

He took a sip of his red solo cup.

He ran his free hand through his hair while he bobbed his head along with the beat, he could see a girl from his class smiling at him from across the made-up dance floor and he smiled back at her. As he was supposed to do.

He danced, the purple and green lights dancing along with him and his arms up in the air just like the song said.

His eyes met Derek’s light-blue ones but Benji quickly looked away.

The quick movement made him drop most of his drink on the floor; he stared at the murky puddle and frowned. Still, he took the red solo cup to his lips and tilted his head back as he attempted to drink the last remaining drops. Nothing. He needed a refill.

He walked to the back of the room, where a table full of bottles and cans was waiting for him. He sorted through it, discarding the sodas and water bottles immediately. He looked around for a bottle with an amber-colored substance.

“Dude! Amanda won’t stop staring at you,” Josh snickered behind him, his beer-scented breath invading Benji’s senses. “She is totally into you.”

Benji forced a laugh out. “Yeah.”

He needed something stronger, a beer wouldn’t do. He grabbed a bottle with a clear liquid on it and hoped that it would be enough. He poured some on his cup carelessly.

“You should go talk to her.”

“Yeah,” he said again.

Someone put their hand on his shoulder. “I think you’ve had enough.”

Benji frowned before pushing Derek away. It was barely his third drink. “I disagree.” He raised his cup to him. “The night is young!”

He downed some of the clear liquid and went back to the dance floor, longing for the comfort of other bodies keeping him upright. He still didn’t recognize the song playing from the speakers and it was bugging him, he knew he had listened to it before. Or had the song changed already? How long had he been there?

Still, he sang loudly, his voice getting lost in the crowd.

Amanda danced up to him. Benji drank some more from his cup; he felt the burn as the alcohol traveled down his throat but he smiled through it.

“Hi, Mandy,” He put his arms around her neck, his hips still moving to the music.

Amanda giggled. “Hi, Ben.”

“Enjoying the party?” 

She nodded. “Mm-hmm… More so now.” 

Benji drank some more from his cup. The song that was playing ended and another one started but they barely changed their rhythm.

“I love this song,” He lied in her ear, he didn’t really recognize it.

“Me, too.” She laughed as if he had said something funny.

Benji could feel Derek’s eyes burning a hole in his back, he ignored it, he couldn’t risk looking back at him. What if someone noticed? He took another sip of his drink, it was almost gone.

“Do you want to get out of here?” Amanda asked upon seeing his frown.

Benji could see Josh staring at him and knew what he had to do. “Sure.” He downed the remainder of his drink.

They walked out of the house together, Josh gave him a thumbs up on their way out. Benji wanted to throw up, he wasn’t sure if it was because of the alcohol or because of Amanda sliding her hand on his back pocket.

“We can go to my house, it’s not too far away and my parents aren’t home…” Amanda proposed and gave Benji her car keys. “You’re fit to be driving, right?”

Benji nodded, slightly offended. “Of course.”

“He’s not.” A voice said behind them. “He’s been drinking all night, Amanda. Come on, you are smarter than that.”

“Go away, Derek.” Benji dismissed him. “I’m perfectly fine.”

“Come on, I’ll drive you both home,” Derek said, ignoring Benji’s slurred-out words.

“N-no.” Benji hiccuped. 

Amanda crossed her arms. “We’re good, Derek. Go suck a dick.”

Benji flinched but stayed quiet. 

Derek stared at him for a few seconds before letting out a huff. “You know what? I will. Good luck with… whatever this is.”

“Come on, Benji, let’s go,” Amanda said and grabbed Benji by the arm.

Derek went back to the party without giving Benji another glance; he felt his heart beating painfully in his chest. Amanda’s keys dangled on his hand. 

She shivered beside him. “I forgot my jacket, can you wait out here?”

Amanda went back inside without waiting for an answer, her keys weighing Benji down. He wanted to go home, he could take the car and just leave Amanda, she would easily find a ride elsewhere.

He walked up to the red Toyota and was about to get in when he thought better of it. He wasn’t a bad person, he couldn’t just take her car. He left the keys on the windshield and walked away. 

He just wanted to get home.

As he walked home, he found himself wishing that he had grabbed one of the dozens of bottles from the party to take home with him. He felt too hot and too cold at the same time and the tears threatening to fall from his eyes were just making things worse.

If only he could drink some more.

Derek’s face as he walked back to the party was burned on the back of his mind. He hadn’t meant to hurt him but he couldn’t let anyone know about them, especially not Amanda. She would have his secret posted on Creeksecrets faster than he could say ‘I’m gay’.

And they were not exclusive, Derek had made sure to keep that clear. As long as Benji stayed in the closet, Derek wouldn’t settle down. Which was fair, he supposed.

Benji was glad his parents were gone on a work trip, that saved them all from a screaming match that he just had no energy for. He entered his house, leaving his shoes at the entrance and not bothering to turn the lights on. He walked straight to the fridge; his stomach grumbling in anticipation.

The fluorescent light illuminated the whole kitchen, Benji rummaged through the fridge and then the cupboards but there wasn’t anything to his liking in there, his stomach grumbled once more. 

“God, I’d kill for Wendy’s right now,” He muttered to himself as he closed the fridge door with more force than needed.

He walked around his house, restless. His phone buzzed with a couple of texts from Derek and other people from the party, he ignored them, he couldn’t bring himself to open them. The guilt was eating him alive, he knew he should have defended Derek from Amanda. He knew it was the right thing to do… But it was just too risky; he just hoped Derek would understand and forgive him.

“I need something to drink,” he said under his breath.

He walked to his dad’s liquor cabinet and rummaged through its contents, he blindly grabbed a bottle from the back and opened it without caring what it was. He just needed to stop thinking; he took a large gulp from the bottle.

As soon as the alcohol hit the back of his throat, he winced and coughed, the bitter taste of tequila drowning all of his senses.

His stomach growled louder than before, he was starving.

Benji remembered his mom had left him some money for takeout, he went to grab the money and searched for the nearest Wendy’s on his food delivery app. It said that it would take 35 minutes for an order to be delivered.

He chugged some more of the tequila and decided that that was too much time, he needed to get something in his stomach soon.

He looked around for his dad’s car keys, the nearest Wendy’s was a 10-minute drive away; if he drove there, he could be eating sooner than if he waited for the delivery service. He found the keys on a bowl in the kitchen, his dad had left them there for emergencies, and to Benji, this seemed like one.

The car was out on the driveway, just where his dad had left it. Benji got in and attempted to fasten his seatbelt but it was stuck on the door, Benji pulled at it a couple of times before finally giving up. It was just a 10-minute drive, it’d be fine.

He turned on the engine before taking another sip from the bottle and accidentally dropping some of the liquid on his t-shirt. 

“Fuck,” he giggled while placing the bottle on the cupholder and attempting to dry his t-shirt with his hands to no avail.

He gave up and turned on the radio and put on his favorite station, an upbeat happy song came blaring through the speakers. Benji threw his head back and laughed, he turned the volume up and sang along while backing out of his driveway.

He felt so happy.

Benji was a good driver, his dad had been so proud of him when he had passed the test and gotten his license on the first try. Benji remembered that day perfectly, he had made sure to memorize his dad’s proud expression, just in case. Just in case he never got to see it again.

If only his dad knew what he was… Maybe someday Benji would be able to finally tell him, maybe someday Benji would finally be able to be himself. Maybe someday he would get to be with Derek, no sneaking around, no secret dates. He wanted that so badly.

Benji sniffled and wiped his tears away with his t-shirt’s sleeves.

He rolled his window down and pushed harder on the gas pedal, he watched as the world around him blurred, splashes of color dashing past him. He approached a red light and pushed hard on the brakes, barely stopping from crashing with the car in front of him.

He laughed, his heart beating a mile a minute, and grabbed the bottle from the cupholder. He drank some more, the aroma of tequila permeating the air. 

The light turned green and Benji put the bottle back. He pushed the gas pedal and moved forward carefully.

He could see the Wendy’s sign in the distance, the white letters shining and illuminating the establishment.

Benji giggled, already being able to taste his meal.

The song on the radio changed, making Benji frown. He didn’t like that one, it was a sad melancholic melody that just made him upset. He looked down and changed the station; when he looked back up, he had almost missed the Wendy’s.

Benji turned the steering wheel and attempted to slow down but the car just sped up, he panicked and turned the steering wheel to avoid crashing with the drive-thru menu.

The car careened through the restaurant, the sound of metal crashing against concrete almost deafening. Benji felt as if he was made of air, the force of the crash jerking him forward; the airbags completely missing him.

Everything seemed to come to an absolute stop. An almost absolute silence except for the music still blaring from the car. Benji could smell the strong scent of tequila in the air mixed with smoke and food. 

He tried to move but felt a sharp pain shooting through his entire body, he heard a scream before realizing it was coming from himself. The world blurred at the edges and Benji tried to hold on to it. He really did.

“Someone help him!” Someone screamed, sounding far away. He heard the faint sound of sirens in the distance.

And then the world went black.


	2. Psychogenesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting this second chapter earlier than I said because that cliffhanger felt too mean! Thank you for all the nice comments on the first chapter, I hope y'all enjoy the rest of the story! And without further ado...

Victor walks along the corridors of his new school, holding his backpack firmly in place and following the vice-principal, Ms. Albright, to his locker. Most people don’t look twice at him, but being the new kid in the middle of the school year still earns him a couple of curious glances; he doesn’t mind them. 

As Felix had said minutes before, being the new kid gives him complete control of who he is, right now he’s a blank canvas and he can paint whatever he desires on it.

Felix’s question echoes in his mind: ‘ _ Who are you, Victor?’ _

“So, um, make any friends?” Ms. Albright asks him.

“Uh, yeah, yeah. Just Felix,” Victor answers.

“Oh, okay. Well, you gotta start somewhere, right?” They walk by a ‘Winter Carnival’ poster and Ms. Albright points to it. “You know the Winter Carnival’s tonight, so maybe you’ll meet your crew there.”

Victor’s about to answer ‘maybe’ when a panicked looking kid runs past him. Victor frowns and stares after him, expecting Ms. Albright to tell him off for running but she just keeps walking. Victor can’t even get a proper look at the guy, he only catches the back of his head, long brown hair sweeping after him; Victor shrugs and keeps walking after the vice-principal.

“Your locker’s over here,” She says and gives him a green folder with the words: ‘New Student Orientation’ embossed on the front. “Well, if you run into any issues just let me know. We’re supposed to have an assembly later today, make sure you’re not late for it.”

Victor nods and smiles at her awkwardly before she chases after some other student, leaving him alone at his locker.

“Hi, new kid!” A high-pitched voice exclaims from behind him.

Victor turns around to find a phone pointed directly towards him. “Oh, woah, hi. What are you doing?”

The blonde girl behind the phone smiles at him. “Taking a picture for my new Creeksecrets post about the new kid.” She says matter-of-factly. “Name?”

“Victor Salazar.” He answers but it comes out as a question.

“Well, give me some deets, where are you from? Why’d you move? Are you cuffed?” She asks eagerly.

Victor frowns confused. “Cuffed?”

“Locked down,” She tries again.

“I-I’m sorry. I really don’t-”

“In a relationship,” She finally clarifies, sounding annoyed. “Did you move here from 1984?”

“Easy, Lake!” Another girl says from behind her. “Hey, maybe let the new kid open his locker before shoving a camera in his face.” She smiles at an irritated looking Lake before turning to Victor. “Hey, I’m Mia.”

“Victor.” 

“Yeah. I’m sorry- I’m sorry about her.” Mia gives him an apologetic look. 

Lake frowns. “Well, I’m not sorry. I need to make this post interesting, otherwise, it’ll get buried by Benji’s assembly one.”

“W-who’s assembly?” Victor asks before he can stop himself.

Mia looks away, clearly uncomfortable, before saying: “Benji. He’s our classmate. Um, h-he was in this big accident over the summer, today marks six months since it happened.”

“It’s a shame.” Lake sighed. “He was super hot.”

“Lake!” Mia shrieked. “He’s not dead.”

“Yet.” Lake shrugs. “We all know it’d be a miracle if he woke up.”

Mia makes a face and blows air into her cheeks. She turns to Victor. “Again, I’m sorry about her.”

Victor gives them a tight-lipped smile. “It’s okay.”

“Yeah, the assembly is not really about him, though. It’s about the dangers of driving under the influence.” Mia explains. “Benji’s parents forced the school to hold them every few months since the accident happened.”

“That’s intense.”

Mia nods. Lake points to her phone. “Okay, well, I’m sorry but I’m still waiting for my answer. Is there a girl back home or…?” Lake looks at him expectantly.

Victor thinks about telling them the truth, telling them the truth about who he is. He feels the words on the tip of his tongue but instead, he shrugs and says: “Nope, no girl back in Texas.”

Lake hums, “So, do mess with Texas. Got it.” She starts walking away. 

“Um, I-I’ll see you around,” Mia waves and gives him one last apologetic look before being pulled by Lake and leaving Victor alone once again.

“Were you just talking with Lake Meriwether and Mia Brooks?” Felix says appearing out of nowhere.

“Uh… Yeah, so?”

“You don’t understand! Lake’s my life-long crush.” Felix says looking after the girls with a dreamy look on his face. “Isn’t she perfect?”

“Uh…”

“So, what’s your first class?” Felix asks pointing to Victor’s folder.

Victor opens it and reads out loud: “P.E.”

“I have bio but I’ll walk you to the locker rooms.”

Victor is grateful that Felix is there to guide him, not needing to stress about finding his way to his classes is a huge relief.

Felix is going on and on about why having gym for first period sounds like a nightmare, when Victor spots the panicked kid from earlier once more. He still looks a little distressed but mostly he just looks… lost; Victor stares at him as he looks around the hallway and, now that he can take a proper look at him, he has to admit that, even while looking kind of upset, the guy is really cute.

Felix keeps rambling. “Why do we even have P.E.? I mean, it’s not like we’re gonna become professional dodgeball players. But seriously, if you play dodgeball, avoid getting hit on the crotch, I would hate for you to become lonestone 2.0 and… Oh! Baby powder. Bring it…”

Victor tunes Felix out. The distressed boy walks towards him and frowns as their eyes meet. 

“Nice shoes!” Victor hears him murmur while he looks at his vintage Nike Cortezes.

“Thanks,” Victor answers, confused. The boy’s eyes open wide as if he can’t believe Victor answered him. Victor feels a little breathless; the cute guy has the most beautiful hazel eyes he has ever seen. It looks like he’s about to say something else when Felix claps Victor on the shoulder.

“Of course, anything to help my new bestie,” Felix says.

The cute guy chuckles breathlessly and shakes his head before walking away.

Felix keeps going, “There are a ton of other tips from where that came from, just say the word and I’ll share ‘em with you.”

Victor turns his head to see where the cute guy goes but he must have run because Victor can’t see him anymore. He’s tempted to run after him before he hears the bell ringing signaling the start of his class.

“Who was that?” He asks Felix.

“Huh?” Felix looks around. “I don’t know. I didn’t see anyone, sorry.”

Victor frowns.

Felix keeps talking. “We have an assembly after first period. I can meet you at your locker and walk you to the auditorium.” Felix offers.

“Uh, sure, thank you.”

Felix smiles at him and leaves for his class.

* * *

P.E. goes well for Victor, he plays basketball and gets invited to be part of the Creekwood basketball team. He still needs to find a way to pay the $500 fee to join but he decides he’ll deal with that later.

As promised, Felix meets him at his locker and together they walk to the auditorium where everyone else seems to be going, too.

“So, how frequently do you guys have these assemblies?” Victor asks Felix.

“It used to be once a year or so, but there was an accident during the summer and now we have them every… three months or so?” Felix explains. “Yeah, I don’t really drink or have a car so I tend to take a snooze during these.”

“Mia told me a little about the accident earlier.”

Felix nods and gets a sad look on his face. “Yeah, it was awful.”

“So, um, did you know him?” Victor asks Felix quietly as they take their seats.

“Um,” Felix shrugs. “Sort of, he was chill but really quiet and kept to himself… He was always nice to me, though, and I saw him play with his band a couple of times, but that’s about it.”

Victor nods but stays quiet otherwise.

Ms. Albright walks up to the podium followed by an officer and the auditorium falls silent.

“As most of you know, today marks six months since the tragic accident Mr. Campbell was involved in.”

“More like the one he caused.” Victor hears Andrew snicker from behind him.

“Which is why Shady Creek’s Police Chief Anthony Rollins is here to talk to us about the dangers of impaired driving.”

A middle-aged man steps into the podium and everyone claps, Victor follows everyone’s lead and does the same.

“Alright, kids. First, let’s take a look at this video that we’ve prepared for today,” He says as a very graphic video starts playing on the screen behind him.

Victor looks around and realizes that most of his classmates are drifting off or trying to sneak some glances at their phones. Felix gets comfortable in his seat and closes his eyes.

Victor tries to pay attention at first but soon after his mind is going back to Felix’s question and trying to come up with an answer.

_ ‘Who are you, Victor?’ _

He isn't able to concentrate for the rest of the assembly.

* * *

Victor watches as Pilar storms off to eat her lunch alone. 

“She seems really upset,” Mia says beside him.

Victor sighs. “Yeah… Yeah, she always is,” 

Mia nods. “I get it. I mean, I was a total disaster my freshman year, I can’t imagine transferring on top of… everything.”

Victor is grateful that Mia is not judging him or Pilar, she’s one of the few people he has actually liked at the school so far.

“Hey! Victor, right?” A curly-haired boy gets his attention. He points to the phone in his hand. “I just donated to your gofundme. Good luck, man.”

Victor frowns, dread settling in his stomach. “W-what gofundme?”

He shows him his phone; there’s a picture taken out of Victor’s Instagram with the title ‘Help Victor Salazar Join the Basketball Team’ and a goal of $500 set beneath it staring back at him.

Victor feels his blood boiling. “Who started it?”

“Andrew started it,” The boy explains with a smile. “To help you join the basketball team ‘cause you’re poor or whatever. No offense.” He laughs nervously. “My gofundme was the best, it helped me fund my trip to Israel.”

Victor watches as the boy walks away and he immediately spots Andrew with a couple of his friends sitting at a lunch table. 

He turns to Mia. “Excu-” Victor stops mid-sentence as the cute guy from earlier walks by them, Victor’s eyes follow him as he walks away. “Mia, who’s that?”

“Who’s who?” She asks looking at where Victor’s pointing.

“The guy that just-” Victor frowns as the cute guy enters the school. “Uh… Nevermind. I- I have to go, see you later.”

He doesn’t wait for an answer before walking in the direction he saw the cute guy going. Victor goes after him before thinking things through. As he enters the school, he tries to find him once more but he seems to have vanished into thin air. 

_ ‘Am I losing my mind?’  _ He thinks as he stands on the empty corridor.

Victor leans against the wall and takes a deep breath. 

“ _ Um, are you sure you’re gay? _ ” Victor thinks to himself. “ _ Well, I’m imagining hot guys. You tell me. _ ” 

“Victor!”

Victor turns around to find Felix running towards him, he stops and waits for him.

“Hey, I’m sorry about the gofundme. Andrew’s a dick,” He says once he reaches Victor.

Victor had almost forgotten about it. “Oh, yeah. I need to talk to him.”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Felix says nervously. “If things go south you’ll end up looking bad, Andrew knows exactly what he’s doing.”

“But I need him to close that and return everyone their money,” Victor explains.

“I know, I know. Just… Wait until tomorrow, don't let him ruin your first day. If he hasn’t closed it by then, I will personally join you and back you up if a fight ensues. I have a blue belt in karate.”

Victor smiles a little. “Okay, fine. I’ll wait.”

“Look, I think the perfect way to finish your first day at Creekwood would be to go to the Winter Carnival. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.” Felix says. “So, what time should we head over? Seven? I can swing by your place or we could just hang out ‘till then…”

“I’ll see you at 6:45.”

Felix smiles and nods.

They walk together since they share the next class; as they walk by a bulletin board, Victor sees a small black and white picture of the cute guy from earlier. On top of the picture the name ‘Benjamin Campbell’ is written in cursive and a quick description of the accident is underneath it along with a date and place for a vigil.

Victor stares at it with his brow furrowed; he swears that is the same boy he has been seeing throughout the day.

“Oh, yeah. That was for Benji’s birthday.” Felix says, watching the picture beside Victor.

“Does he have a twin?” Victor blurts out.

Felix gives him a funny look. “What? No. He’s an only son.”

“Huh, I just-” Victor shakes his head. Maybe he had seen the picture earlier and his mind had somehow been playing tricks on him. Or maybe it was just someone that looked similar to Benji. Or perhaps he was just going crazy, that could be it, too. “Nevermind, let’s go.”

* * *

The rest of the school day goes by without incident; by the end of it, Victor has almost forgotten all about Benji, Andrew, and the gofundme incident. Almost.

He’s sorting through his locker and trying to get it into some semblance of order when Mia approaches him. She taps him on the shoulder to get his attention and Victor turns around with a start.

“Oh! Hey, Mia.” Victor closes his locker.

“Hi, um, I just wanted you to know that I spoke with Andrew and he’s taking the gofundme down. I’m really sorry he did that…” 

“You didn’t have to do that,” Victor says, feeling a blush creeping over his cheeks. “I- Thank you. Seriously.”

Mia shakes her head. “It’s okay, I know he can be the worst.”

“Yeah.” Victor nods. “Are you going to the Winter Carnival?” 

Mia puts a strand of her hair behind her ear and nods. “Yeah, Lake loves it. We go every year and eat popcorn until it feels like we might explode.”

Victor chuckles. “Cool, I’ll see you there, then?”

“Yeah, see ya.” Mia turns around and looks back at Victor a couple of times before turning a corner and disappearing from view.

His first day at Creekwood had been pretty okay by his standards. Was he seeing cute guys that were presumably in a coma? Yes, but he has also made some friends so he can’t really complain.

* * *

The twinkling lights of the Winter Carnival illuminate Victor’s face as he buys his tickets for the rides and food, Felix is right in front of him and dozens of people walk around searching for snacks or activities to do.

As they walk through the place, Felix points out all the different attractions and why he does or doesn’t like them. Victor looks around wondering what they should do first.

“Oh! You have to try the apple cider!” Felix exclaims. “It’s like drinking Christmas! I’ll go get us two. You get the churros.” He says quickly.

“I-”

“You know what? That sounded racist.” Felix keeps going. “You go get the apple cider. I’ll get the churros.”

Victor chuckles. “I can get the churros, okay?” 

“Okay,” Felix says softly before walking away towards the apple cider stand.

Victor searches around for the churros stand; as he walks around, he spots Mia laughing with Lake and a few other people that he recognizes from school but hasn’t learned their names, yet. Andrew is also there with his friends, Victor hadn’t seen him since their lunch period. 

Victor also crosses paths with his family and his dad waves at him. They talk for a couple of minutes before parting ways.

Victor finally finds the churros stand and goes to order, the smell invading his senses and making his stomach growl.

“Hey, Salazar!” A voice comes from behind him. Victor knows it’s Andrew without even turning around and he’s not in the mood to talk to him, especially after the gofundme thing. “Salazar!”

Victor looks back and sees that Andrew is walking towards him along with his two friends, he looks really smug. Victor looks around and sees the line to the Ferris wheel is free; he jogs to it and gives the operator some of his tickets before hopping in.

It’s only once he’s in the air when he starts getting nervous about the height, he’s starting to get pretty far away from the ground. And from Andrew, if he wants to see the silver lining.

“Woah, this is fun.” Someone says.

Victor can’t help but scream as the cute guy from earlier materializes beside him right in front of his eyes.

“Ah! What the hell?!” Victor exclaims scattering to his side and trying to put as much distance between them. The pod shakes a little making Victor hold on tight to the bar in front of him.

The other boy screams, too, flailing his arms in the air and falling off the pod from almost the top of the Ferris wheel.

Victor looks down but doesn’t see any commotion happening. No screaming or anything.

“Huh, I must have imagined that,” Victor says to himself. “There’s no way that just-”

The boy appears beside him again looking as terrified as Victor. 

“Oh god.” Victor closes his eyes tightly and tightens his hold on the bar. “You’re not here. You’re not here.” He mutters.

“Wait! Y-you can see me?” The boy whispers.

“Yes!” Victor shouts. “Who are you? What’s happening? Oh my god.”

“I’m Benji. Please don’t freak out.” He says quickly. “You need to help me, you’re the only one who can see me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What would you guys do if you encountered a ghost? I think I'd be scared but thrilled at the same time hahaha  
> I'll be back with chapter 3 next week! And every Thursday or Friday after that, or maybe I'll post twice a week, we'll see but I make no promises heheh


	3. Hemodialysis

_Victor looks down at the people beneath him, getting smaller and smaller as the Ferris wheel takes him higher off the ground._

_“Wow, we’re pretty high up, huh?” He says, “It didn’t look that high when we were on the ground but now…” He laughs nervously._

_“Are you afraid of heights?”_

_“Oh, no. No. I love this. I’d say ghosts are far scarier.” He lies with a chuckle, surprisingly more scared of the height than the apparition beside him._

_“Oh you’re going to hate this trick, then,” Benji says with a smirk. “But… don’t look down. Just… look at me.”_

_Victor feels his mouth going dry as his eyes meet Benji’s hazel ones; he feels the pull of a magnet drawing him towards Benji, and as their faces get closer they both close their eyes. Victor keeps leaning forward but his lips never touch Benji’s._

_He opens his eyes but Benji is staring at him with the same look of confusion on his face._

_“What’s happening?”_

_“I think… I think I’m not real.”_

_Victor reaches his arm out to touch Benji’s face but it just goes right through him._

_“Victor, I think… I think you’re going insane.”_

Victor wakes up panting, his heart beating a mile a minute. He clenches his fists around his bedsheets and shakes his head. That had been a very realistic nightmare, had he fallen asleep and dreamt the whole Winter Carnival?

“Oh, good, you’re awake.”

“Ah!” Victor screams and covers himself with his bedsheets. He closes his eyes tightly and starts muttering: “You’re not real. You’re not real. You’re not real.”

“Oh but I am,” Benji says from his place at Victor’s desk. He’s trying to grab a Rubik’s cube but his hand keeps going through it; he squints harder and tries once more, it doesn’t work. “I’ve been trying this for hours, it’s impossible.”

Victor pinches himself on the arm with his eyes still firmly closed, hoping to wake himself up in case he’s having another nightmare. He waits a couple of seconds for Benji to say something but there’s only silence. 

“Are you gone?” He whispers. Silence. He opens his eyes slowly and sees his desk chair empty. He sighs and throws himself back on his bed. “This move must have been more stressful than I thought.” He mutters to himself.

“Where did you move from anyway?”

Victor yelps and sits back up. “You should know that. You’re a figment of my imagination.”

Benji frowns. “I am not.”

“Texas,” Victor says, closing his eyes again. “I moved from Graham, Texas.”

“Cool,” Benji sits beside him on the bed. “So, are you going to help me figure out what exactly is going on with me?”

“Look, I’d love to but I have a ton of homework and-”

“Victor, please, I am a real person!” Benji insists. “Benji Campbell, 16 years old… or 17 now, I guess. I am a junior at Creekwood High. Lead vocalist for The Sticky Beaks. I saw you talking with Felix, ask him! He knows me.”

“No, I mean, I know who you are, that’s why my mind was able to create- Wait. The Sticky Beaks? I did not know that. Huh. My mind must be filling in the gaps.”

“Or I am real and this is serious.” Benji proposes.

Victor isn’t sure which one would be worse, Benji actually being real or him being an imaginary construct of his mind. He can’t deny he finds Benji extremely cute but he also can’t let that control his decisions. Benji could very well not be real, and even if he was, what was he supposed to do to help him?

“I can’t help you, sorry,” Victor gives him an apologetic look.

Benji runs his hands through his hair. “Look, I don’t know why…”

Victor gets up to get ready for school and tunes Benji out. He sorts through his wardrobe and chooses a hoodie and some jeans, he throws them on his bed and starts to undress.

“Oh! Should I…?” Benji says, turning around.

“I don’t care. You’re not real.” Victor says while continuing to get dressed. Benji stares intently at the wall, forcing himself not to think about the beautiful half-naked guy behind him.

“Just… There has to be a reason I’m here.” Benji says, still facing the wall.

“Well, I don’t know it. All I know is you were in an accident and are supposed to be in the hospital. Not here.” Victor grabs a brown jacket to go on top of his hoodie.

Benji sighs and pulls at his own hair. “I know that. I was at the stupid school assembly yesterday. I just don’t remember any of the alleged accident and I have no idea what I’m doing here.”

“Maybe try going to the hospital?” Victor shrugs.

He grabs his backpack before leaving his room quickly and closing the door in Benji’s face; he promptly walks through it as if the door wasn’t there.

“Pretty cool, huh? It’d be a cool party trick if anyone else could see me.” Benji mutters following Victor to the kitchen. “See, the thing is, I don’t think I can go anywhere without you. Every time I’ve ‘appeared’ somewhere new, you’ve been there. And whenever I'm not with you, it's like... like I don't exist."

“Well, that’s convenient, huh? I think that just proves that you’re just a fabrication of my mind.” He whispers to Benji before entering the kitchen with a forced smile on his face. “Good morning.”

Armando turns to look at him as he pulls some bread out of the oven. “Morning, flaco. I didn’t see too much of you at the Carnival last night,” He says. “Did you and that boy have fun?”

Victor and Benji exchange a look. 

“W-What boy?” Victor asks, half hoping that Armando is also able to see Benji.

“The weird kid from down the hall,” Isabel explains from her place at the dinner table. “The one that looks like Rachel Maddow.”

“Huh, good one! I like your mom,” Benji says.

Victor ignores him. “Oh! Felix, yeah. Yeah, we had a good time.”

* * *

“So… You turnt up for day number two?” Felix asks him as they enter a coffee shop on their way to school.

“Yeah, I guess so. I’m not looking forward to seeing Andrew but other than that…”

“Oh, don’t even mention him. Last night, when you were on the Ferris wheel, he came up to me and gave me a basketball. Told me he had won it for me so that I would know what it feels like to have two balls.”

Victor looks away trying not to laugh and Benji sends him a deathly glare. 

“That’s so dumb,” Benji huffs crossing his arms. Victor sobers up and feels bad for almost laughing about Andrew’s stupid antics.

“I’m sorry, man,” Victor tells Felix, putting his hand on his shoulder.

Felix shrugs. “Anyway, what’s your drink?”

“I’ll just have a cold brew.”

“Oh! Get one for me, too!” Benji says from behind Felix.

“No, you can’t even drink it,” Victor answers without missing a beat.

“What?” Felix frowns.

“Oh. Um, nothing. I just said… I-I can’t wait to drink it. The coffee, I mean.”

“Right! Me neither. I can’t start my mornings without a freshly brewed cuppa coffee.”

They reach the front of the line and Felix orders for both of them. Victor’s eyes are immediately drawn to a ‘HELP WANTED’ sign; he had asked his dad that morning for the $500 to join the basketball team and Armando had told him to get a job, so this seems perfect.

“Wait, are you guys hiring?” Victor asks the cashier.

She grabs a paper from under the counter. “Here. Just fill out this application.”

“Okay, great.” Victor grabs a pen from the counter and starts to fill it out.

“Not here!” She exclaims crudely. “On your own time, buddy! Next!” 

Benji makes a face. “I almost applied for a job here… Glad I didn’t, she seems intense.”

At the same time, Felix says: “You’re getting a job?”

Victor ignores Benji. “Yeah, I have to pay for basketball. My dad’s doing well, but we’re not Creekwood rich.”

“Well, Brasstown’s a good place to work at. You get coffee, it’s not super crowded and it’s on our way to school.” Felix says and goes to pick up both of their drinks at the end of the bar.

Victor walks after him; he suddenly remembers his conversation with Benji earlier. “Um, Felix? I have a, uh, weird question.”

“Shoot.”

“I remember you told me that kid, um, Benji, was in a band, right?” Felix nods and Victor continues: “W-what was it called? The band, I mean.”

“Oh! The Sticky Beaks, why?” Felix gives Victor his cup.

Victor feels his heart about to beat out of his chest. He grabs his cup tightly. “Um, just curious, yeah.” He squeaks out, his voice higher than usual.

Benji looks at him with his eyebrows raised. “Told you so.”

* * *

“See you at lunch,” Victor tells Felix before walking away for his first period class.

Victor assumes that Benji will go away while he’s in class, much like the day before, but Benji follows him to the locker rooms, and later to the gym. It’s easy to ignore his presence while he’s busy running around and playing basketball.

The trouble arises in second period.

Victor finds his classroom easily, he sits down and gets his stuff out from his backpack; he completely ignores Benji who’s standing beside him. Benji looks around and decides to sit on the free chair beside Victor.

“Come on, Victor. You have to admit that I’m real and I’m not going anywhere until you help me.”

Victor groans and hides his head in his arms. 

“Please, please, please.” Benji starts repeating with a smirk on his face, clearly enjoying annoying Victor. “Please, pretty pretty please. Please.”

“Hey, um, is this seat taken?” A girl asks him pointing to where Benji is sitting.

“No.” Victor says at the same time Benji says: “Yes.”

“Cool, thanks.” She sits down and immediately frowns. Victor can see her going straight through Benji and has to take a moment to school his features.

“No problem,” Victor squeals.

“Woah,” Benji chuckles.

“It’s really cold in here, aren’t you freezing?” She says, shivering and rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

“Um, I’m fine,” Victor says, trying to discreetly motion for Benji to go away.

“This tickles,” Benji laughs. “I’m going to sit somewhere else but not because you asked.”

He goes to the front of the classroom and starts to sing loudly over the teacher’s voice. Victor has to bite his lip to keep himself from screaming.

By the time lunch comes around, Victor feels like he might explode at any given second.

He’s getting annoyed by Benji’s presence; he keeps following him to all of his classes and not letting him pay attention. He has also gained a few weird looks from his classmates because he keeps answering Benji, forgetting that no one else can see him or hear him.

Felix meets Victor at his locker and they walk together to the cafeteria. They see Pilar sitting by herself and go to join her. She greets them with a grunt and proceeds to complain about her long-distance boyfriend spending time at the mall with another girl.

Victor spots Mia and Lake walking toward their table and gets up to greet them.

“Hi, I didn’t see much of you last night at the carnival,” Mia says shyly.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. I had to leave early.” _A ghost kind of appeared and now it won’t leave me alone, you see?_ He wants to add but doesn’t. 

“That’s okay,” Mia bites her lip and smiles.

“Aw, this is cute,” Victor hears Benji muttering behind him. “Look at Mia Brooks blushing! Thought I’d never see that.”

“Hi, hello! Victor’s best friend here.” Felix joins him and shakes Mia’s hand. He turns to Lake and says with an Irish accent: “Top of the mornin’ to ya, lassies.”

Lake leaves Felix’s hand hanging. “Okay. It’s actually 1 p.m., but, ah,” She turns to Victor. “Victor, did Mia tell you she’s hosting a little get-together tonight?”

“What’s the occasion?” 

“The occasion is a free mansion with zero adult supervi-sh. Starts at nine.” Lake says.

Benji steps in between Victor and Lake quickly. “No way, we don’t have time for parties. You need to help me figure out what’s going on.”

“Also, it's a stoplight party, so dress accordingly.” Lake continues.

“I’m usually the first one to say yes to a party but we need to figure out what’s going on. Please.” Benji pleads.

“Sure, I’ll see you guys there,” Victor tells Mia as she walks away with Lake.

* * *

Victor sorts through his t-shirts quickly as Benji sits on Victor’s bed.

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Benji raises his eyebrows at him.

Victor huffs. “I’m late because the lady at Brasstown refused to let me leave unless I learned how to pull a fucking shot of espresso.”

“Well, that’s karma. I can’t believe you’re really going to a party when my life could be in danger.” Benji asks.

“It must be good karma because, in the end, I got the job.” Victor shrugs.

“Well, congratulations…” Benji fakes a smile. “My blood will be in your hands.”

Victor frowns. “You should have thought twice before annoying the living crap out of me... No pun intended.” He grabs a green t-shirt from his drawer.

“You’re going to play that stupid party game?” Benji rolls his eyes. “Why the hell am I stuck with you?”

“I wish I knew.”

“Then help me figure it out,” Benji says getting up and walking towards him.

Victor ignores him and takes off his shirt before changing it for the green one.

“Who are you trying to hook up with?” Benji asks him, staring at Victor’s reflection in the mirror.

Victor’s frown deepens. “What? No one.”

“Well, I just thought… Since you’re wearing green, maybe you wanted someone to know you’re single.” Benji explains.

“No, I just am. Single, I mean.”

“Right. Do you like Mia?”

“N-no.”

“You know she likes you, right?”

“What?”

“Come on, how are you so oblivious?” Benji sighs. “If she wears yellow today, you’ll know I’m right.”

“Well, I already told Lake I’m single so I can’t wear red, and I don’t want to lead Mia on so I can’t wear yellow, which leaves green,” Victor explains.

“Or, hear me out, you could _not_ wear a color, just go with black. If anyone asks, say you’re in mourning.”

“You’re so weird. This is too weird.” Victor says under his breath before closing his eyes and trying once more to think Benji away.

“Still here. But good try.”

* * *

As soon as they enter Mia’s house, the music blaring all around the house envelopes them. The entrance door is open for everyone and Victor forgets all about Benji for a second as dozens of bodies dancing around and chatting away holding red solo cups surround him.

This isn’t like any party he had gone to back in Texas.

Victor looks side-ways at Felix and sees his hair sticking out in all directions from under his sweatband, he hastily pulls it off of him and they both follow the path to Mia’s living room.

A few guys from the basketball team wave their hands at him but otherwise ignore him; small groups of people have formed all around the house. Victor sees Lake talking with Andrew and immediately walks the other way. Felix doesn’t follow him.

“Are you still avoiding Andrew?” Benji asks him as they enter the deserted kitchen.

“No. I just don’t feel like talking to him.”

Benji sits down on the kitchen counter. “Are you scared of him or something?”

“Or something.” Victor sends Benji a dirty look.

“Oh. Victor, hi. Mia will be down soon,” Lake says as she enters the kitchen with a forced smile. “Are you looking for something to drink? I'm pretty sure Kieran brought some beers."

Victor looks in between Benji and Lake. “Uh…” Victor gulps, he hadn’t been planning on drinking. But maybe that’ll make Benji disappear… “Yeah.”

“Help yourself,” Lake gestures vaguely to the counter full of bottles of different sizes. She opens the fridge and shows the contents to Victor. “The beers are right there if you want one.” She grabs a bag of chips and leaves without another word.

“Okay, thank you,” Victor says quietly. He goes over to the fridge and grabs the first bottle he sees. He opens it with some difficulty, much to Benji’s amusement, and takes a cautious sip. The bitter taste makes him shudder.

“So, I was thinking. Maybe you could ask around for some more information about my accident? Maybe someone knows something that leads us to-”

“No. Stop.” Victor snaps, he closes his eyes and hits his head softly with his hand. “Come on, brain. Come on. Make him go away.” Victor opens his eyes and jumps when Benji’s face appears centimeters away from him. “Goddammit.”

He gulps down some more of the beer.

Benji attempts to grab some of the bottles from the counter table but fails. “God, I’d kill for a beer right now.”

“Isn’t that what caused the accident?” Victor asks.

“Well, I don’t know. I told you, I don’t remember any of it.” Benji shrugs.

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

Benji seems thoughtful for several seconds. “I remember arriving at a party and that’s about it. The next thing I knew I was standing by my locker and no one could see or hear me.”

Victor gulps down the rest of his drink.

“Hey, pace yourself,” Benji says as he tries to grab the beer out of Victor’s hands, he frowns as his hands go straight through it.

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Victor turns away from Benji. “I think you’re starting to get blurry, maybe if I drink some more you’ll disappear completely.”

Benji looks at his hands, not blurry at all. “I think you’re insane.”

“Good, that makes two of us.”

* * *

Victor’s convinced he has lost Benji for good this time. 

“Hell yeah,” He kisses his red solo cup. “Thank you.” He turns around to exit the kitchen and crashes against someone. “Oops!” He giggles.

“Oh! Hey, Victor,” Mia smiles at him, shyly. “Um, you’re wearing black.” She points at his outfit, she’s wearing a black dress.

“Oh, um,” He looks down at himself, having forgotten about his outfit. “Yeah, I am. I’m… mourning?”

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. W-who died?”

 _My sanity._ “Uh,” Benji hadn’t told him what to say to that question. “I’m… not sure.”

Mia gives him a funny look. “Are you okay?”

“Yup. He’s gone!”

Mia raises her eyebrows. “W-who’s-”

“Where’ve you been?” Felix appears out of nowhere and puts his arm around Victor, interrupting Mia.

“Oh, hey. Just… around.” Victor takes a look at Felix, who’s slurring his words and holding a red solo cup, possibly in worse condition than him. “Are you okay?”

“Ah, well, I just couldn’t find you.” He bops Victor’s nose. “So, in order to calm my crippling social anxiety, I made a new friend.” He shows him the contents of his cup and a strong alcohol smell hits him. “Can you believe Lake has a boyfriend? Bruno. Even his name is cool.”

Mia chuckles. “No, it’s just her cousin.”

Felix frowns. “That’s worse! I can’t compete with family.” He looks down at his now mostly empty cup. “I’m going to get another drink. Do you want anything?” He asks Victor.

“Nah, I think I’m finally-”

“Boo!” Benji screams appearing beside Victor and making him jump.

“No!” Victor exclaims making Mia and Felix look at him, he forces a smile at them. “Uh, I mean… No, don’t go. I do want a drink.” He stands up and follows Felix to the kitchen. 

Someone calls for Mia and she sends Victor an apologetic look. “Be right back.”

“She is so into you.” Benji giggles, entering the kitchen behind Victor.

“What do you want to drink?” Felix asks Victor, turning over and moving around the different bottles on the counter.

Victor looks at Benji. “Definitely something strong.”

Felix hums and grabs Victor’s cup. He grabs a bottle and pours some of it on the red solo cup before giving it back to him. Victor stares at it for a moment before taking a tentative sip out of it. It’s much stronger than a beer, it makes him cough a little and Benji is delighted at that, laughing and cheering him on.

“Well, at least you’re making this party entertaining,” Benji laughs. 

Victor ignores him and takes another sip.

“Victor, Victor, Victor,” Benji chants.

Victor finishes the drink and puts the cup down on the table. Benji stares at him with a small smile on his face. Victor smiles back and attempts to walk over to him but trips over his own feet.

Benji tries to stop him from falling over but Victor just goes right through him and falls over the counter. Benji frowns as the smell of tequila hits him.

_He could see the Wendy’s sign in the distance, the white letters shining and illuminating the establishment._

“Victor, are you okay?” Felix asks running around to help Victor up. Victor is laying on the floor, giggling hysterically.

_Benji turned the steering wheel and attempted to slow down but the car just sped up, he panicked and turned the steering wheel to avoid crashing with the drive-thru menu._

“I went through him, Felix.” Victor laughs hysterically, slurring his words. “He tried to catch me but…” Another fit of laughter stops him from finishing the sentence.

Felix laughs with him.

_An almost absolute silence surrounded him except for the music still blaring from the car. Benji could smell the strong scent of tequila in the air mixed with smoke and food._

“I think we should go home,” Felix says once they have their laughter under control.

Victor nods and gets up. “Yeah, let’s go.” 

_“Someone help him!” Someone screamed, sounding far away._

Felix follows suit and leaves his drink half-empty on the counter. Victor looks around, Benji’s nowhere to be found.

“Huh, finally,” He sighs halfheartedly, a worried voice in the back of his head wondering if he’s okay.

They walk out of Mia’s house, the cold air hitting Victor’s face and making him feel queasy. He isn’t cold though, his whole body is warmed from the inside with alcohol. They stumble to the nearest bus stop together. Victor has half a mind to check his clock and realizes that he’ll probably miss his curfew.

“We’re going to be in so much trouble,” Victor says, his fuzzy brain trying to come up with excuses to tell his parents.

“Not me, my mom’s a heavy sleeper,” Felix says giggling.

The bus arrives and they sit in the front next to each other. An old lady is on the seats across from them and Victor finds himself looking around for Benji. He catches a glimpse of himself on the bus window and turns to Felix horrified.

“Be honest, how drunk do I look?”

Felix stares at him. “You look like you’ve never been soberer..er.”

Victor groans. “I did not think this through.”

Felix frowns and turns to the old lady. “Excuse me, ma’am. Could you tell my friend he looks stone-cold sober?”

“Only if you want me to lie,” She grunts before turning to the window.

Felix turns to Victor and gulps loudly. “Yeah, maybe you’re in trouble.”

* * *

“Victor Salazar, you’re in so much trouble!” Armando grunts as he pulls him inside the house. “Come inside before your mom hears.”

Victor follows him as quietly as he can. “Don’t be mad, I know it’s past my curfew but the bus took forever and-”

“Be quiet, you’re going to wake your mom up,” Armando mutters. They stand outside of Victor’s bedroom when Armando speaks again: “Did you have fun?”

Victor is taken aback. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did. I’m sorry I drank, it wasn’t that much, I swear.” He half-lies.

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, Victor. Drink a glass of water and sleep it off.” Armando says before leaving Victor alone in his room.

Alone.

“Benji?” He whispers to the empty bedroom. Victor lays down on his bed and sighs. He doesn’t feel sad when there’s no answer. No. Instead, he blames the emptiness in his chest to his drunken state, that’s all it is.

When the first wave of nausea hits him, he vows to himself never to drink again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!  
> Question of the chapter: Have you gotten in trouble for drinking???


	4. Eisegesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess I'm posting on Thursdays hahaha  
> I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!! <3

Victor has almost convinced himself that he had imagined the whole thing when Benji is still missing by the end of the weekend.

His new work at Brasstown keeps him busy. He’s a quick learner, and Sarah manages to teach him the ropes of the job on his first day. And she had been right, once he gets the hang of making an espresso, the rest of the drinks are easy enough to prepare for him.

The weekend passes by in a blur, barely leaving time for Victor to worry about Benji, but he still manages to do so; he finds himself looking over his shoulder and hoping to see his goofy grin looming over him.

In a moment of weakness, what he might even dare to call his lowest point, he stares at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He takes a deep breath and chuckles at the absurdity of what he’s about to do.

He grabs his mom’s lavender-scented candle and lights it up before turning the lights off; he stares at his reflection once more, this time only illuminated by the candle’s flame, and bites his lip.

“Okay, just say it,” He whispers to himself. He exhales loudly and says as firmly as possible without breaking eye-contact with his reflection: “Benji Campbell, Benji Campbell, Benji Campbell.”

He holds his breath waiting for something to happen but… Nothing.

“What am I doing?” Victor grunts to himself. “Who do I think he is? Bloody Mary? Ugh.”

He turns the light back on and splashes some water into his face. Maybe he has lost his mind after all, but that doesn’t seem to dissipate the sliver of hope in his stomach every time he hears a noise nearby.

Which is why, on Monday, when Felix startles Victor at his locker, he has to hide his disappointment at him not being Benji.

Felix thrusts a poster that says “Battle of the Bands” into Victor’s hands and tells him he’s performing.

“You have to be there,” Felix pleads. “I’ll even take you backstage after the show!”

“Felix, I work at Brasstown. I know ‘backstage’ is just the parking lot next door,” Victor laughs. “But yes, I’ll be there. I can’t wait to see you perform.”

Felix makes finger guns at him. “Alrighty!”

Victor smiles at him and the bell rings, he quickly puts the poster carelessly on his backpack and goes to his next class.

* * *

As Victor gets home from his shift at Brasstown, he’s greeted by his family playing a board game. They ask him to join but he has a ton of homework and needs to work on it if he doesn’t want to get behind. 

“Fine, we understand but you have to make some time for us this weekend, mijo!” Isabel says after him.

Victor can hear Pilar saying: “Can I go to my room, too?”

“Nope. You made the mistake of telling us that you were done with all your homework.” Armando laughs.

Victor smiles and drops his backpack on the floor beside his desk. Even though his shift hadn’t been long at all, he’s tired. He takes off his shoes and changes into his pajama pants. He pulls out his books and accidentally drops the wrinkled ‘Battle of the Bands’ poster on the floor; he stares at it for a couple of seconds before deciding to leave it, he’d pick it up later.

He gets to solving some of his physics homework but quickly gets stuck on a problem. He looks around for his calculator.

“Looking for this?” 

Benji is pointing to the calculator on Victor’s nightstand.

“Jesus!”

“No, just me,” Benji says with a smirk that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Victor feels a little bit of anger pooling in his stomach. “Where have you been?”

Benji pouts dramatically. “Why? You missed me?”

“N-No, I just kept waiting for my very own Beetlejuice to pop out of nowhere.” He lies. “Most stressful days of my life.”

“I’m offended, I’m way cuter than Beetlejuice. If anything, I relate more to Lydia.”

Victor raises his eyebrows, asking him to answer his earlier question.

Benji sighs. "I don't know, it's like I had this very long, very intense hang-over after I-" Benji sighs again, louder this time. “After I… I remembered what happened. The accident.” Victor notices how tired he looks. “It was _bad,_ Victor. I drove straight through a Wendy’s, it was my fault. I’m not even sure how I survived.” Benji runs his hands through his hair. “The worst part is that I don’t know if I hurt anyone else. It’s kind of driving me crazy. I… I never meant to hurt anyone.”

Victor slumps on his chair. “Benji, I-”

“Victor, I-I need you. I can’t go anywhere without you, I’ve been trying.” Benji bites his lip and looks away. He frowns as he sees the crumpled-up poster on the floor. “What’s this?”

Victor picks it up and shows it to him. “Battle of the Bands at Brasstown, Felix will be performing.”

“Oh, sounds like fun.” Benji’s frown deepens. “He’s in a band?”

Victor chuckles and shakes his head no. “He’s a DJ, apparently.”

“Interesting… Now I have to go and see it for myself.”

“Well, I’ll be there, which means, according to you, that you can come, I guess.” Victor shrugs. “We’ll see if my brain decides to bring you or not.”

“You don’t control where I go, Victor. Or at least I don’t think so.” Benji crosses his arms. “I just know that whenever I’m not with you it’s like… It’s like I don’t exist. That’s why I need your help to get back to my body.”

Victor bites his lip. “I don’t know, Benji, I’m not-”

“Look, you’re either going insane and talking to yourself or I’m actually here with a huge problem that you can help solve.”

“Fine,” Victor says quietly after a few moments.

“Fine?”

“Fine, I’ll help you out. But first I need to finish my physics homework.” Victor grabs the calculator and turns back to his desk.

“Fine,” Benji agrees, not wanting to upset Victor now that he had agreed to help him. 

They stay in silence, the only noises in the room are Victor’s pencil scratching against paper and the calculator’s buttons being pressed.

Benji resumes his attempts to grab Victor’s Rubik’s cube again to no avail. He grunts, frustrated. “Can we at least listen to some music while you work?”

“M-hm.” Victor agrees, tossing his phone to Benji. “Password is 2580.”

“Uh…” Benji looks at the phone. “We have a problem. I can’t…” He tries to pick up the phone but he doesn’t even move it.

Victor groans and goes to help Benji. “What do you want to hear?”

“Just put your most played songs, I don’t care.”

Victor feels a blush creeping up his face. “Um… I don’t-”

Benji looks at the phone over Victor’s shoulder. “Your most listened-to song is Baby Shark?” He snickers.

“I-I play it for my little brother.” Victor defends himself but Benji gives him an incredulous look. “Shut up.” They both laugh.

“Just put it on shuffle.” Benji shrugs once his laughter dies down.

Music starts playing from Victor’s phone, and he goes back to his place at the desk, trying to solve the last of his physics problems. 

“Hey, I just met you and this is crazy,” Benji sings. “But here’s my number so call me maybe.”

“It’s hard to look right at you baby,” Victor joins him without looking up from his homework and they sing together. “But here’s my number so call me maybe.”

Benji stands up and starts dancing around. “Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad, I missed you so bad.” He drops to his knees and makes a sad face while pointing to Victor. “I missed you so, so bad.”

Victor rolls his eyes and Benji motions for him to join him in his dance. Victor has never been a good dancer but he still gets up and dances around his room, the giant smile on Benji’s face is completely worth it. 

They end up throwing themselves dramatically onto Victor’s bed in a fit of giggles.

“Call Me Maybe was my jam when I was little,” Victor says once the song is over.

Benji nods, trying his best not to laugh at Victor but failing. Victor throws a pillow at Benji but it goes through him, which just makes Benji laugh harder.

“Fine, laugh at me,” Victor says light-heartedly before going back to his desk and solving the last problem in the worksheet.

“Hey, Victor?” He hears Benji ask quietly from his bed.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For agreeing to help me. I know you technically don’t even know me but-”

Victor turns around in his chair and motions for Benji to stop talking. “Don’t even mention it. And we do know each other, you’ve seen me in my underwear at least 3 times now, that has to count.”

Benji scrunches up his face. “Just know I’d be throwing you this pillow if I could grab it.”

* * *

“Wow, there are… way more people than I anticipated,” Felix says softly and grips his equipment tighter to his chest.

Victor, Benji, and Felix have just entered a very crowded Brasstown, there are people walking all over the place buzzing with excitement for the performances. Victor isn’t used to seeing the coffee shop like this, all dimmed lights and a small improvised scenario for the bands; it looks like a completely different place.

Victor walks behind Felix and puts his hands on Felix’s shoulders. “You’ll be okay. I’m sure your set will be awesome.”

Felix stops walking and Victor crashes against him. “Ouch, what’s up?”

“Lake’s here.” Felix points towards her, she’s laughing at something Mia said. “I’m gonna go over there, wish me luck.”

“Well, I mean, props to him for at least trying,” Benji giggles. Victor groans and follows his friend, who’s looking starstruck at Lake.

Victor waves at Mia and gives her a shy smile, she points to the seat beside her and Victor takes it gratefully.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were coming to this,” Mia says.

“Yeah, Felix will be performing. I’m here to support him and to scout any new talent to add to my Spotify playlists, apparently my music is outdated.” Victor explains.

“I didn’t say that. I said you were really into classics.” Benji lifts his arms claiming his innocence.

“I’m sorry to tell you that this probably won’t be worth your while.” Mia laughs. “Unless you’re in the market for heavy metal covers of prescription drugs side effects.”

Victor opens his mouth with fake excitement. “Are you kidding me? That’s exactly my kind of music!”

Both Mia and Victor burst out laughing. Benji stares at them with his eyebrows raised.

“Can’t wait for you to hear my fire beats,” Felix says to Lake nervously. “Waka-waka.” Felix chuckles nervously.

“Cool. Good luck with that.” Lake says before turning to Mia. “How’s my lipstick? Andrew will be getting here any minute now.”

Felix looks a little defeated but he still manages to smile. “I’m gonna go backstage to get ready, wish me luck.” He tells Victor.

“Good luck, man.”

Andrew joins them a bit later and the four of them watch as DJ F-Bomb crashes and burns his performance. Victor is thankful when Mia keeps Andrew from laughing too hard, but he still hears Lake exclaiming: “The bomb is bombing.”

“Hey, leave him alone,” Victor says, debating on whether to go after Felix and check on him or stay and do some damage control. “At least he had the courage to go up there and perform.”

“You know what? You’re right,” Andrew admits, before swiftly adding: “Very ballsy for lonestone.”

“You’re an asshole,” Victor pushes Andrew out of the way and follows the path to the ‘backstage’.

He doesn’t realize that Benji’s right behind him until he speaks: “That was really nice of you. You’re a good friend, Vic.”

Victor looks back at him and gives him a half-hearted smile. “Thanks, I try.”

They spot Felix sitting on the sidewalk, the bomb headpiece crushed beside him, and a sad look on his face. He looks up at Victor as he sits down beside him. Several of the other performers walk around them, getting ready for their turn.

“Before you say anything, I know I should’ve practiced with the costume,” Felix says, kicking a small rock on the asphalt. 

“It wasn’t that bad,” Victor lies. “The beginning was pretty good.”

Felix hides his face in his hands. “How do I even face Lake after that?”

Victor puts his arm around Felix’s shoulders to comfort him. “It’ll be okay, buddy. There were so many bad performances, she’ll probably forget all about it soon enough.”

“Victor, let’s go back inside,” Benji interrupts quickly, a haunted look on his features. “Please.”

Victor sends him a questioning look.

“No time to explain, I’ll tell you once we’re inside, come on.” Benji starts walking back to Brasstown and Victor pulls Felix up to his feet in order to go after him.

“Uh, come on, bud. Let’s get this over with.”

They walk back together and Victor excuses himself to go to the bathroom, he quickly checks that there’s no one in there with him and locks the door behind him.

“Okay, what’s going on?” He asks a nervous-looking Benji.

“My band was out there. The Sticky Beaks.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, I had no idea they were going to be here. I can’t believe they’re still playing without me. Seems a bit tone-deaf if you ask me,” Benji complains.

“Next up is The Sticky Beaks!” They hear Sarah screaming into the microphone as if on cue.

“Should we go check it out?” Victor asks.

“I guess… I mean it’s not like they can see me,” Benji shrugs, still looking apprehensive.

Victor walks out of the bathroom and finds the whole room entranced by the performance on stage. Victor joins his table and sits down beside Mia once again. He doesn’t recognize the song being played and he can’t concentrate on it, he keeps sneaking glances towards a fidgety Benji.

“Victor, these are The Sticky Beaks, remember I told you about Benji’s band?” Felix whispers loudly to him. “Derek and Sabrina didn’t play for a couple of months after the accident, but they held auditions once the school year started and resumed their performances with Peter as the new lead singer/guitarist.”

“I think Benji was way better than this new guy. Benji brought the sex appeal to the band, you know?” Lake chimes in.

Benji bites his lip and looks away with a smile on his face.

“Yeah,” Victor agrees without thinking. Mia sends him a confused look and he realizes what he said. “Oh! Or, I mean, I can imagine. I guess.”

Mia laughs quietly and nods. “Yeah, Benji is a really good singer.”

“Aw stop, you’re all going to make me blush,” Benji says cheekily.

Victor chuckles softly before directing his attention back to the scenario, only three people make up the band: a bassist, a drummer, and a lead singer/guitarist; Victor wonders if Benji plays the guitar, too. They’re okay, certainly better than the rest of the bands, so it’s no surprise when Sarah announces them as the winners.

The band plays an encore. Victor starts to wonder if maybe they could help him help Benji, maybe they know something about the accident or about Benji. As soon as the song is over, The Sticky Beaks walk off the stage.

“So, Felix, Benji played with the bassist and the drummer?” Victor asks as casually as possible.

“Yup, Sabrina and Derek, they did everything together, especially with Derek.” 

Victor nods and decides that talking with Derek might be worth a try. “I’m gonna go congratulate them on their win, yeah?”

Felix gives him a weird look but doesn’t stop him.

“Victor, what are you doing?” Benji asks alarmed as soon as he comprehends what’s happening. “Don’t talk to Derek, he won’t know shit.”

“How do you know?” Victor asks, already walking toward Derek. “It’s worth a try, you wanted my help right?”

“No, Victor, I’m serious. You don’t wanna talk to him!” Benji says, his voice getting more and more desperate.

“It’ll be fine, I just have a couple of questions,” Victor says, making his way through the crowd.

“Victor, stop!” Benji shouts attempting to grab Victor’s arm. Victor stops and Benji feels himself stepping into the other boy’s body.

“Woah,” Benji looks at his hands but he realizes they aren’t his hands, they’re Victor’s.

 _‘Benji, what the fuck? Get out of here. This wasn’t part of the deal!’_ Victor screams from somewhere inside his mind, he feels him fighting to kick him out of his body.

“I’m so sorry,” Benji whispers and clumsily runs out of the coffee shop, he can’t let Victor talk to Derek. “I told you, you don’t need to speak with him.”

As soon as they’re hit with a wave of fresh air, Victor regains control of his body, and Benji steps aside. They both stare at each other breathlessly.

“Why the fuck did you do that?” Victor grunts. “And more importantly, how?”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t even mean to- Sorry, I just freaked out,” Benji says, still gasping for air. “I told you, Derek’s a big no-no. He won’t be able to help, I’m sure.” _And even if he did, I can’t risk you figuring out I’m gay and decide not to help me._

“Fine. Just… Don’t do that again.”

“Okay, sorry.”

The door opens and Victor sees Derek walking out of Brasstown by himself, Victor turns away, not wanting to freak Benji out again.

“Hey, do you have a light?” Derek asks, Victor looks around and realizes it’s only the two of them outside. And Benji.

“Uh, no. Sorry.”

Derek makes a face but shrugs. “Did you enjoy the show?”

“Y-yeah. You guys were pretty good.” Victor says.

Benji stares between them, not sure of what to do. 

“I saw you were with Mia Brooks, what are you doing out here by yourself?” Derek asks with a smirk.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

Derek chuckles. “I’m Derek.”

“Victor.”

“I hadn’t seen you before.” 

“I just moved here,” Victor explains.

“Let’s go back inside, Vic,” Benji pleads softly.

“Where from?”

“Graham, Texas,” Victor answers and sends Benji a look, not knowing what to do.

“That’s a big change,” Derek says, he puts his hands inside the pockets of his jeans. “If you need someone to show you around…”

Benji blows air through his cheeks. “I can’t believe him.” He chuckles humorlessly. “Victor, let’s go.”

“Uh, that’s… Um, very kind of you.” Victor tells Derek.

“Fine, I’m leaving without you,” Benji says before disappearing into thin air.

“Wh- Benji?” Victor says out loud before he can stop himself.

Derek goes pale. “What did you just say?”

“Uh…”

Derek frowns and takes a step back. “I-I’ll see you around, Victor. Bye.” He says quickly before turning around and practically running back into Brasstown.

“Woah, easy!” Felix says barely avoiding crashing against Derek. He looks around and spots Victor leaning against the wall. “Hey, where have you been?”

“I just needed some air.” Victor lies. Felix nods and goes to lean against the wall beside him. They stay quiet for a moment before Victor speaks up again: “Actually, can I tell you something? You can’t tell anybody, it’s a secret.”

“Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead.” Felix winks at him.

Victor chuckles. “I’m serious, this has to stay between us.”

Felix crosses his heart. “I promise.”

“Okay, here goes nothing…” Victor stares at his hands. “I’ve been seeing someone.” He breathes out.

“Oh!” Felix exclaims. “Since when?”

“I don’t know, since my first day at Creekwood?”

Felix frowns. “Woah, that was fast. Who is it, do I know her?”

“Her? What?” Victor stares at Felix, confused. “Oh. No. No, I mean, I’m seeing someone… that’s not there.”

“Is she emotionally unavailable?”

Victor gives Felix an exasperated look.

“Oh! You mean like a hallucination?” Felix finally asks.

“Maybe?” Victor rubs his temples. “I thought I was hallucinating but, I don’t know, I think it might be real.”

Felix stays silent for a couple of seconds. “Okay. Who are you seeing? Do I know them?”

Victor runs his hands through his hair and nods. “Y-yeah. You know him.”

“Him?”

“I’m seeing Benji. The guy in a coma? The Sticky Beaks ex lead-singer?” Victor explains.

Felix’s eyes go wide. “Is he here right now?” He whispers looking around.

“No. Not right now.” Victor sighs. “I was talking with Derek and that freaked him out and now he’s gone. I don’t know when he’ll be back, he just keeps ghosting me.”

“Huh,” Felix says under his breath. “Why are _you_ seeing him? You don’t even know him.”

“I don’t really know. Apparently, I’m the only one who can see him and he needs my help to… I don’t really know, get back to his body?”

Felix jumps in front of Victor and grabs him by the shoulders. “You have to help him.”

“What?”

“You have to help him.” Felix repeats. “Victor… He was the only one who never called me ‘lonestone’. If there’s any way we can help him… We have to do it.”

“O-okay. Yeah, I already told him I’ll help him.”

“Good.” Felix nods. “I’m coming over tomorrow and we’ll figure something out. We’re going to get that boy back into his muscled, long-haired body and everything will be fine.”

Victor half-smiles at his friend. “I’m gonna go home, yeah?”

“Yeah, go ahead. I think I’ll stay a bit longer and see if something happens with Lake. I saw her fighting with Andrew so maybe this is my chance.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

* * *

“Hey, mom. I’m back.” Victor says as he enters his apartment. Isabel is sitting in the living room reading a book.

“Hi, mijo. How was it? Did you have fun?”

“Yeah, I had fun,” He tells her. “I’m going to sleep now, okay? Te amo.”

“Te amo más, descansa.”

Victor goes to his room and puts on his pajamas, he lays down on his bed and tosses and turns for a while before throwing the sheets off of him and sighing.

He stares at his ceiling and thinks about Benji, why had he been so intent on him not speaking to Derek? His mind keeps drifting and he finds himself humming ‘Call Me Maybe’ under his breath.

“It’s really catchy, huh?”

Victor stops his humming and looks to where the voice came from. “Yeah. Yeah, it is.” He agrees. “You disappeared.” He adds, not exactly as a complaint, just as a fact. 

“Sorry about that,” Benji says quietly as if scared to disrupt the night. “I just… He was flirting with you and… I don’t know. Sorry.”

“He wasn’t flirting with me,” Victor says, almost laughing.

“I know Derek better than anyone. He was, believe me.”

“He’s gay?”

“Yeah.” Benji looks at him as if it was obvious. “Ever since I met him. He’s always been out and proud.”

“Oh.” Victor feels the urge to tell Benji the whole truth, that he’s also gay and how scary it is. He wants to tell him his worries and hopes and talk about all the turmoil he’s been experiencing. He wants to, so badly. But instead, he swallows it down and forces a smile on his face. “Well, don’t worry about it. I should sleep now.”

Benji nods. “Yeah. Good night, Victor.”

“Night, Benji.”

Victor tosses and turns in his bed for a while longer until Benji finally lets out a chuckle.

“You can’t sleep?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to sing you to sleep?” Benji says with an annoyed tone, even though his smile says a different story. “I threw a wish in the well, don’t ask me I’ll never tell.” He starts singing a slowed-down version of ‘Call Me Maybe’, mostly as a joke.

Victor is about to complain when he realizes how soothing Benji’s voice actually is, he lets him keep going. Is not until the next morning that he realizes that Benji had actually sung him to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!!!  
> Question: Do you play any instruments???

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is very loosely based on the movie Just Like Heaven, you don't have to watch it to understand at all, but I still wanted to give it a shout-out because it's one of my favorite movies. I already have this whole fic written, it'll have 11 chapters and I'll be posting every Friday (maybe?).
> 
> If you wanna come scream with me about Venji or Love, Victor, this fic or anything else I'm @callmevenji on tumblr and @callmevenji_ on twitter!


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